Caught Up In Time
by spare
Summary: A mysterious purple-haired girl stumbles into Filia's house late one stormy night. She seems to know more than she lets on, and Xellos is determined to find out whatever it is she's hiding. And what are those cloaked creatures that keep following them a
1. Chapter 1 : Finally Made It!!!!

  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Slayers. I am not making any profit from this. I just love writing. I can't stop. It's a disease.   
  
- CAUGHT UP IN TIME - by spare  
  
PROLOGUE : A MISSION   
  
The blonde woman eyed the purple-haired girl before her. The younger woman stood proudly, a rather defiant and confident air around her, purposefully refusing to kneel and give the elder respect due to one of her rank. What honor there was left to it, anyway.   
  
"You know what to do."   
  
"Of course." With that, the girl promptly vanished, teleporting out of the island.   
  
'And into the lion's den...' The slit-eyed woman added thoughtfully.   
  
In the shadows, a tall figure stepped forward, long purple bangs covering her eyes. Her voice, though calm, held a note of uncertainty at her friend's decision.   
  
"Do you think it _wise_, to let her undertake such a task?"   
  
The blonde shrugged, bracelets clinking together as she shifted on her seat. "I have no choice. She is the only one..."  
  
"I see. Our last hope then."   
  
"I just hope she succeeds. And returns, safe and whole, to me."  
  
"What? That is rather strange coming from you, Zelas." The purple-haired woman chided.  
  
Her friend laughed. "Yes it is, isn't it?" She sat back and crossed her legs. "But I suppose it is only natural considering how much things have... changed."  
  
Ice cubes clinked inside the wine glass the blond woman held.  
  
"And she *is* family. The only person I have left since my so-- her father passed away."   
  
The tall figure nodded, detecting a faint note of wistfulness in her voice. "I never did understand why you never created another to replace him. He left her to you, but she is not quite as loyal as her father once was. She does not exactly belong to you, either..."  
  
"She refuses to take either side. Stubborn. Gets that from her mother I would guess. Which is all the better, as she is most effective working for us both. The truce..."  
  
"Is what keeps us together, I know," her friend finished for her. "Funny, how things have turned out this way..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Rant: I have returned. Somebody help me! I just can't get this fic off my head, it haunts me in my dreams, so I got to unload, and here's the result. This is my first story with an actual plot in mind. So, what do you think? As usual all forms of helpful comments, suggestions, romantic intentions and proposals are very very welcome!   
  
P.S. I'd also like to express my most heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all those reviews in my other fic! Though I doubt you'll be reading this... But you guys were very nice, and very helpful, and brightened up an otherwise drab day.   
  
HOPEFULLY THE RATHER VAGUE PROLOGUE HAD NOT TURNED YOU OFF, SO... ^_^  



	2. Chapter 2 : The Perfect Storm

  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Slayers. I am not making any profit from this. I just love writing. I can't stop. It's a disease. Oh, and the 'Sacrada Blade'? I made it all up. I had to.   
  
- CAUGHT UP IN TIME - by spare  
  
CHAPTER 1 : LATE NIGHT VISITOR  
  
She could hear them. Following close by in the distance, shadowy cloaked figures gliding swiftly through the air, after her, chasing her. But she moved faster than the wind, evading, escaping. At least for now.   
  
Her body ached to unleash her power at them, destroy the creatures until there was nothing left but dust. Kill them all. It would be so easy. And quite enjoyable. But she held back. She needed her full strength to complete the task at hand.   
  
There wasn't enough time.   
  
She had what she came after. Now all she had to do was find the area where the spell can take full effect.   
  
To the east. Tall rugged mountains, reddish brown in the dying light of the sun. Ruins of what was once great marble spires reaching for the sky.   
  
Her pursuers were nowhere to be seen, but she could still sense them faintly, gaining in on her. She had to act fast.   
  
Squinting down at her bleak surroundings, she soon found it. Dark brown and white lines, intertwined together in an intricate circular formation. Close up, the lines looked nothing more than peculiarly chalky patches of earth eroded from the mountain side. In truth, these brown and white intersections formed a large and quite powerful runic symbol.  
  
Resolutely she hovered nearer, into the center of the rune. The air crackled around her as she entered, reacting to the stone pendant hanging loosely around her neck, as expected.   
  
A few more moments and her pursuers would be close enough to track her astral signature. If she failed to do this, she was done for.   
  
'That's life,' she sighed.  
  
She closed her eyes, and proceeded to cast the spell.   
  
"Lord of the Darkness and Four Worlds,   
I beseech thy fragments; by all of the power thou possesseth,   
grant the heavens' wrath to my hands;  
unleash the sword of dark, freezing nothingness;   
by our power, our combined might,   
let us walk as one along the path of destruction  
Laguna Blade!!!"   
  
The wind howled energy as the spell took effect. Her purple bangs swayed, parted on either side of her face, black cloak flapping wildly in the breeze. The power surging through her burned, the pain excruciating. Her eyes snapped open, revealing amethyst slits, dark and unreflective, staring blindly at their surroundings.   
  
Swirling darkness formed between her hands.   
  
'So far so good,' she thought, congratulating herself. 'Now for the hard part.'   
  
She began to recite the words, her voice barely above a whisper. The chant ran smoothly across her tongue, freeing, summoning the arcane magic long forgotten... By... Forgotten... Echoes... Concentrate.. Have to... Buried in the flow of time... Concentrate...  
  
The power surging within her was amplified, pure energy ripping through every part of her being. Pain. Absolute, mind-numbing pain.   
  
She screamed.  
  
As if in answer to her cry, the stone pendant glowed. Dark red blood, ending to nothingness. Yellow gold, pure white flame. The two powers fused together within the orb. Ready and alive.   
  
'No turning back now.'   
  
She had awakened the power. Now it flowed through her freely, begging to be released.   
  
Silent tears streaming down pale cheeks, she forced the power to the black blade waiting between her hands.   
  
"Sacrada Blade!!!" she screamed, feeling the surge of tingling energy pulse beneath her fingers.   
  
Immediately the black blade seemed to dispel between her hands, only to be replaced by blinding golden light. Streaks of swirling darkness sputtered upon the new blade's brilliant edge.   
  
She broke abruptly from the trance, alert and aware. It had taken more out of her than she anticipated; she barely had enough power to maintain her levitation spell. The words were lost to her now, until it was time to recast -- but for now -- she'd done it! She cheered inwardly, until she felt the sick, soulless auras of the cloaked figures behind her.  
  
"Taaainnttteddd Ooonnnne!!!!" who, or what, was the leader of her pursuers hissed through its slash of a mouth. They were gaining in on her, the cold, disgusting things.   
  
Ah, but no matter.   
  
Smiling winningly, crystalline blue eyes wide open, she gave the approaching figures a friendly wave, then pulled down her left eyelid and made a face. She turned around, the powerful golden blade crackling in one hand.   
  
"Ja ne, losers," she whispered as she prepared to strike.   
  
She braced herself and struck the bright golden shaft of energy through seemingly empty space. What was empty air gave way, revealing a dark, gleaming gash between a rift like torn cloth. Ignoring the icy shrieks behind her, she plunged into the opening, enveloping herself in a swirling tunnel of nothingness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The storm raged on. Rain fell in torrents, a million icy drops splattering on the rooftop of the the modest two-story house that served as Filia's pottery and tea shop. The surrounding houses and establishments in the sleeping city fared no better. The empty streets glistened with rain water, scattering various articles of rubbish from the overflowing gutters. The howling wind threatened to uproot what trees were left to uproot, and the tops of houses shook alarmingly, attempting to get blown off. Lightning streaked through the night sky every now and then, followed closely by rumbling thunder.   
  
Filia clutched the shawl around herself more tightly, shivering from the cold. She had made herself a nice hot cup of tea to calm her nerves. The wood burned brightly from its spot in the fire place, casting light on the surrounding area and warming the dining room where she sat behind a table. It helped a little, but it was still close to freezing inside the house.   
  
Jiras and Gravos were away for the week, visiting some friends in the western regions. Little Val slept quietly upstairs, undisturbed by the tempest outside. For that she was thankful, at least.   
  
"Damned storm," she muttered under her breath. It had rained nonstop for three days already, and in all that time she had not been able to open shop, or even step outside a few blocks for that matter. She was practically alone in the house, fast running out of supplies and firewood, and she could do nothing much about it. Except wait it all out.   
  
She hated waiting.   
  
And she hated not having anyone to converse with for three days straight.   
  
'Darn, even that namagomi's presence would be more than welcome at this time,' she thought to herself. 'And that's saying something. The jerk keeps showing up around the house even when he's not wanted. Though he hasn't showed up for nearly a week already. I wonder what's happened to him?' Inwardly she shook her head. 'And why would I be worried about him at all? He's probably caught up in one of his master's missions again. By next week he'll probably teleport himself back here, annoying the hell out of me.'  
  
The least she could do for now was treasure a Mazoku-free weekend. Though she found it hard to do so.   
  
"It's this damned storm," she cursed again, then cursed more, because the damned rain was making her swear, something a woman of her station in life shouldn't do.   
  
There was a knock at the door.   
  
Filia looked up from her tea, the insistent knocking jerking her out of her thoughts. 'Now who'd be crazy enough to visit at this hour?' She wondered, standing up and heading for the door.   
  
She shivered again, adjusting her shawl, and swung the door wide.   
  
"Who is--" she began, before her eyes fell on the soaking figure half kneeling, half laying, on the porch.   
  
It was a girl, looking about fifteen years of age, light purple hair a tangled mass framing a delicate but badly bruised face. Her dark cloak was wet and ripped in several places, as well as what Filia could see of her other clothes. Her left arm and part of her neck was streaked with blood and dirt. Hazy blue eyes looked slowly up at her before managing a weak smile.   
  
"Mother," the girl whispered, before drifting to unconsciousness and collapsing limply on the hard wood floor.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Ramblings: Darn, could it be more obvious? You could easily guess who the purple-haired girl is by now! But I'm not going to just go out and say it. Yes, Miss Spellcaster is on a mission, and she *borrowed* Lina's spell. And I made up a new spell based on it. If you think there's anything deathly wrong about this, please tell me! I just really got this urge to type my hands off!!!  
  
P.S. REALLY SORRY for the delay in uploading this. I was experiencing, cough, hack *problems* trying to get in and well... Anyway, gomen nasai, and thank you for waiting. ^_^   
  
AND XELLOS SHOWS UP AT LAST IN THE NEXT PAGE...   



	3. Chapter 3 : Waking...

  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Slayers. I am not making any profit from this. I just love writing. I can't stop. It's a disease.   
  
- CAUGHT UP IN TIME - by spare  
  
CHAPTER 2 : PLEASE CALL ME ALEX  
  
The morning sun rose gloriously the next day, the sky a clear azure hue. The storm had long since passed, replaced by the promise of a reasonably fairer-weathered day.  
  
Inside the establishment known as Filia's Pottery and Tea Shop, the blond owner was humming softly to herself as she expertly flipped her second batch of pancakes over the skillet. Almost through preparing breakfast, she hoped her charge would be well enough to eat.   
  
Filia was tired; she barely had enough sleep last night, healing and attending to the wounds of her unexpected house guest up until the wee hours of the morning. Then she had woken up extra early to feed and change Val. She was thinking of putting off business for tomorrow... But no, she'd lost too many days. She'd take care of that for later, but for now, she concentrated her energies to the task of cooking breakfast a nice and healthful breakfast for the young woman.   
  
Indeed, the girl was lucky to be alive. Checking on her last night, Filia found that her physical body wasn't the only part of her that was severely injured. The girl's magical and spiritual energy was extensively drained, reaching dangerous lows.   
  
She thanked the gods her powers had been enough to to heal her. Now the young woman was out of harm's way, and seemed to be recovering by herself quite rapidly.   
  
Depositing the warm pancakes on a plate by the sink, Filia's thoughts drifted to when she found the girl. She had carried the badly wounded woman into the house, heart beating fast and hoping to Ceipheid she wasn't too late. She had been slightly surprised detecting the rather peculiar aura the girl emitted, if weakly. Dark, like Mazoku... but somehow... different.  
  
"Ah, what a beautiful morning, ne, Filia-san?" a smooth and all-too-familiar annoyingly obnoxious voice greeted from behind her.   
  
"It was turning out to be one, until *you* showed up, namagomi," Filia retorted icily.   
  
Xellos Metallium, Beastmaster and general-priest of the Mazoku Lord Zelas, dropped his eternal grin to pout at her from where he stood. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"  
  
Filia sniffed and crossed her arms. "Since when have we been friends?"   
  
Xellos smiled, glad to annoy her so early in the morning. Noticing the pancakes cooling on the counter, he nonchalantly stepped forward, fork magically appearing in hand, intending to help himself. Filia turned and abruptly swatted his gloved hands away from the plate.   
  
"Hands off of those!"  
  
"What?" he asked innocently, having successfully impaled one pancake on his fork. He took a bite, fruitcake grin plastered on his face. "My, my, this is delicious, Filia. You make a great cook... for a Ryuzoku."   
  
The blond ex-dragon priestess fumed. "Those aren't for you, baka! They're for--" she stopped herself, looking at Xellos suspiciously. He simply smiled. "Wait," she started. "Don't tell me the reason you're here has something to do with... last night..."   
  
"Yare yare, I was waiting for you to tell me about your purple-haired house guest," he said cheerily, finishing the pancake.   
  
Glare. "Why bother, when I know you'd already know," she huffed.   
  
"Of course, Fi-chan!" He said, grinning as Filia not-too-subtly winced at the familiarity.   
  
Filia settled back with a defeated sigh. "She's upstairs, recovering. I found her last night. Well, she found me. She managed to drag herself to my doorstep in spite of the state she was in..." she drifted off. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She shot the Trickster Priest an accusing glare. "You didn't..."  
  
Xellos waved his hands in a placating gesture. "No, I wasn't the one who did that to her!" The blond settled back once more. "Why do you always suspect me of everything?" he whined.   
  
"Because that's something I wouldn't put beneath you to do," she replied. "What do you or your master want with her, anyway? If either of you are planning to harm that girl in any way, I swear I'll--" she waved Mace-sama in front of his face.   
  
"Now why would I do that?" Xellos grinned innocently through closed eyes.   
  
"Just tell me," the dragon pressed on. "What do you want with her?"  
  
Xellos smiled, wagging a finger. "Sorewa himitsu desu."  
  
Filia shook her head, then turned to the breakfast tray she was through preparing. "Anyway, I'll be bringing these up to her room soon," her eyes narrowed. "And I suppose you'll be joining me, no matter what I say, right?"  
  
"Why certainly, Fi-chan!" he replied.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Brightness. Sunlight streaming through the open window. Yellow curtains flapping in the breeze, flowery patterns casting lacy shadows on the adjacent wall. The faint smell of pancakes wafting through the air. And, of course, tea...  
  
She sat up, noticing the strip of cloth wrapped around her purple head. She unraveled it, surveying her surroundings.   
'Home?' she thought, confused. 'But it can't be... It's been four years...'  
  
In the other room, the playful cooing of a baby could be heard.   
  
'That's right,' she remembered suddenly. 'I went back--'  
  
She broke away from her thoughts as the door to the room swung open, and a tall blond lady walked in, a tray full of food and a pitcher of iced lemon tea in her arms. A taller purple-haired man carrying a gnarled staff followed close behind her. Concerned blue eyes gazed at her. Smiling closed eyes observed her.   
  
"Good morning," Filia cheerfully greeted the young woman, setting the tray of food before her on the bed.   
  
The girl smiled back helplessly. "Filia-sama," she acknowledged. "I feel so much better now."   
  
"I brought some breakfast for you. Are you well enough to help yourself?" the dragon said, gesturing to the tray of pancakes, fried eggs and some bacon.   
  
She nodded. "Arigato." She was hungry. Quickly she began wolfing down the food in a speed that would've mad Lina proud.   
  
"Ah, so this is the young lady you've been telling me about over breakfast, Fi-chan," Xellos remarked jovially.   
  
"Whatever, namagomi."   
  
The said girl looked up from devouring a piece of bacon. "The name's Alexia," she told through smiling eyes. "But I do prefer to be called Alex." Without missing a beat she poured herself a cup of lemon tea. "Um, Filia-sama, who's he?" she continued, glancing at Xellos.   
  
"Sorewa hi--YOUCH!!!"  
  
"This is nama-- Xellos," Filia filled in, glaring at the Mazoku she had shoved to the adjacent wall.   
  
"Nice to meet you," Xellos said, prying himself off the indentation he left on the wall. He walked over to the young woman and shook her small hand. "Alexia, what a nice name."   
  
"Alex," the girl corrected, matching the priest's fruitcake grin, but leaving both eyes open.   
  
Filia looked from Alex to Xellos, slightly unnerved at the near-identical expression on both faces. She shrugged it off, noticing the girl's much improved condition. Her wounds seemed to have healed overnight. Now there was no trace left of any cuts or bruises on her slender form. Instead of her torn clothes she now wore a clean white tunic. The dragon shook her head mentally.   
  
"So, Alex," Filia addressed conversationally, "What were you exactly doing out last night? I mean, you were hurt pretty badly..." she trailed off awkwardly. Personally the dragon maiden didn't feel comfortable having to interrogate her so early, but her mind ached for answers. It wasn't every day somebody stumbles into your home half-dead. "You don't have to tell if you don't want to. I'll understand." She added hastily, seeing the girl gulp down a slice of bacon.   
  
Alex smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh, it's OK," she assured her. She put down her fork. "I was attacked, at a bad time, actually," she began. "I'm a traveling sorceress. I was heading for an abandoned shrine to the northeast when this tempest came, got lost, and ran into this rowdy group of bandits... Well, I managed to escape with my life, and by luck I saw the city lights from a distance... And, well, you know the rest." She grinned when she finished, proceeding to wolf down the rest of her meal.   
  
"I see," Filia remarked. 'Funny, this girl reminds of Miss Lina somewhat... But at least she's got better table manners,' she thought, assured, observing the girl delicately but voraciously pick at her food. 'Her parents must have taught her well the intricacies of being a fine lady.' "Well, you're free to stay in my house for as long as it takes for you to recover, dear." She was rewarded by a good-natured smile. She turned around to face Xellos, surprised he had stayed silent for so long. Even with both his eyes closed she knew he was watching them... 'What is he up to?'   
  
Xellos watched Filia fuss over the young woman, studying the latter carefully. Call it intuition, but the girl seemed to know much more than she was letting on.   
  
The purple-haired teenager intrigued him. Something about her was... familiar. Her blue eyes, delicate features, the parted bangs... In fact, if not for the purple hair, he'd almost say--  
  
"OWW!!! Filia, why'd you do that?!?!!" Xellos pouted, rubbing the part of his head where Filia had bonked him.   
  
"I just thought it was time I brought you back to earth," she replied, shrugging. "You were staring at us so hard I'd think you were seeing ghosts or something."   
  
"Was I?" He asked innocently as Filia's left eyebrow raised a notch higher. 'Must be slipping in my old age, making Filia notice like that. I got to sort things out...' Ignoring the dragon maiden's suspicious stare, he smiled winningly at both females. "Well, gotta go now, Fi-chan, 'Alex'. Thanks for the pancakes. Ja ne!" With that, he teleported out of the house.   
  
Filia glared at the spot where Xellos had stood not too long ago. Something was up, she just knew it. The namagomi had left a little too hastily, like he was distracted with something. 'As if I'd care,' she retorted to herself. Shrugging mentally, she turned back to where Alex sat up on the narrow bed, quietly sipping her lemon tea.   
  
"Mr. Xellos left in quite a rush, didn't he?" the purple-haired girl observed in an amused voice.   
  
"Oh, he comes and goes whenever he wants," Filia replied, smiling at the young woman. "I take it you are through with your dishes?"   
  
Alex nodded. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Filia-sama. For the food... For taking care of me..."  
  
Filia felt herself blush. "Oh, think nothing of it." She bent over and took away the tray from the bed. "Now lay back down and rest. You seem to be fine, but you still need to rejuvenate your spiritual energy..."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, atop the roof of the house just across Filia's teahouse, Xellos stood, observing them from the open window. Filia had stood up and left for downstairs, to wash the dishes, he presumed. Alex leaned back on the bed, closing her eyes.   
  
The Trickster Priest's thoughts drifted back to last night. It had been quite a night, for him at least. First, the three-day storm, the strongest he had witnessed in decades. Then the power surge. He, and many others with his astral sense, for that matter, had felt it; the sudden and unexpected release of enormous power.   
  
Juu-ou-sama had of course sent him to investigate. He had been mildly surprised that his search for the source of such a blast led him into an area just outside the city where Filia stayed in.   
  
There he found, still glowing faintly, the remnants of a runic symbol fading away into the air. Smoke and black dust permeated around it, oblivious to the rain. He deduced that the rune was a gate of some kind, noticing the unfamiliar magical field still surrounding it. The area tingled with unnatural power, something he couldn't quite place.   
  
He had halted from further exploration of the area, hearing the sudden crackle of energy from the rune. The rift was reopening, what was left of the spell being haltingly pieced together. There was a hiss, and the ruffle of thick clothing.   
  
The Beastmaster had teleported out of the way, feeling the presence of something from behind the portal. If he had a heart, it would have temporarily stopped beating from shock. Whatever it was emitted a sickening, pungent aura, much like rotting flesh. Even for someone like himself, he found he could not feel anything but cold, numbing dread, sensing it. What was more intriguing was the great amount of raw power that he felt belonged to the creature.   
  
Making sure he was a safe and undetectable distance away, Xellos watched as the gate fully reopened, and a dark, cloaked creature stepped, or rather, floated out of it. The figure suggested a humanoid body, but whatever it was was quite dark, almost like inky black shadows wearing clothes. It was soon followed by five or six more similar creatures, all thick shadows with soulless eyes, slashes for mouths. The last one managed to come out just in time as the makeshift portal finally broke apart, disappearing completely.   
  
The cloaked newcomers had turned, surveying the area angrily. The first one to come out, the leader, apparently, had hissed and sputtered out something he couldn't quite understand to the rest of the group. The voice was like breaking glass, or claws on a chalkboard. Its suggestion was agreed upon by answering hisses from the other cloaked shadows. Abruptly the group vanished away, cloaks swirling into nothingness.   
  
Vanished. Poof. Not teleported. Xellos had been alarmed, realizing that he had not been able to track down the creatures as they disappeared. They were no where to be found on the astral plane. Interesting. Very interesting indeed.  
  
And then he noticed the presence of another one, this time within the city. It was foreign as well, but far from revolting. Very different, but familiar at the same time... There was a hint of Mazoku aura surrounding it... but the golden waves suggested Ryuzoku blood... Valgarv? It had power, but barely so, almost drained away.   
  
Thinking back, he had followed the source of the aura until he saw the badly wounded young woman staggering weakly right into the front door of Filia's teashop. It piqued the general-priest's already growing curiosity to say the least. The girl moved like she knew the way...  
  
Xellos sighed. One big puzzle to solve. Again. Watching Filia admit the younger woman into her house, he had then teleported back to report the... occurrence to his master, voicing his fears on the strange new creatures appearing from the portal. He received no further orders but to keep watch over and observe the newcomers, particularly the young woman who had arrived at Filia's. And while it gladdened him a bit to be able to spend more time around his favorite dragon, something about this Alexia perturbed him to no end. He was certain there was a connection between the purple-haired girl and the shadow creatures, and he intended to find that out.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Ramblings: That's right, clues so obvious it lands smack on your face. And so the plot thickens... Well, minna-san, if you've gotten this far it would be either you're interested or you just love to waste your time reading horrible fics from a biased author. ^_^ Thanks for hanging in there, because there's more to come, I tell you!  
  
NO IDEA YET WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT...  



	4. Chapter 4 : Where Nothing Actually Happe...

  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Slayers. I am not making any profit from this. I just love writing. I can't stop. It's a disease.   
  
- CAUGHT UP IN TIME - by spare  
  
CHAPTER 3 : POTS AND SHADOWS  
  
"Thank you, please come again!" Filia cheerfully bid her latest customer goodbye. Val sat on a stool next to her, happily playing with a few clay blocks. Alex had fallen asleep again upstairs and she was sure by tomorrow the girl will recover fully. The dragon maiden had settled down to reopen the shop, and the way things were going, she was thankful she had.   
  
It was turning out to be quite a busy day. She admitted more customers than usual, the city for some reason experiencing a fad-frenzy for pots and other earthenware. It had something to do about a new holiday the mayor of the city, Dela Barca something-or-other, had declared recently. Not that she cared what the pots were for. Business was business, ne?   
  
"Miss Ul Copt?" An elder and fatherly voice inquired at the doorway. Filia looked up from where she was showing two ladies her flower pot selection to see a frail-looking, gray-haired man dressed in a navy blue suit. The old man leaned slightly on a polished cane. Behind him stood two tall, stony-faced guardsmen.   
  
"Mr. Dela Barca," Filia acknowledged, recognizing him immediately. She excused herself and stood up to admit the elderly man inside. "What an honor-- would you like a cup of tea?" The dragon offered politely. 'Why would the city mayor come in here?' From what she have heard the man was a bit of an eccentric, prone to sudden whims and outlandish ideas. He was a wise and just ruler, however, and was well-loved by the populace.  
  
Dela Barca shook his head jovially. "I'm afraid I don't have the time for that now, millady," he replied in a rather perky, energetic tone. They paused for a while as the mayor waved and cheerily acknowledged some customers who came forward to greet him. "Nah, I came here for business, you see. You've earned a reputation as one of the best, no, if not THE best potter in this here little city of ours, yes?"  
  
Filia nodded, blushing at the compliment. "Uh, I guess--"  
  
"And boy have I heard of your whopping good blend of tea! Legendary, one friend of mine told me, yes..." the mayor went on. "Ah, but tea is not the object of my visit right now. Pots it is, lots and lots of pottery... What I would like to purchase from you, Miss Filia."  
  
"You want to buy some pottery?" Filia inquired, trying to understand half of the onslaught of words the mayor had delivered.   
  
"Hai, my dear," Dela Barca confirmed, nodding. "Not just some pottery, though, LOTS of pottery, say, twenty pieces of that beautifully crafted vase on the shelf, and thirty of the flower pots by the counter, and tea pots, musn't forget the tea pots... Oi, Jio..." he turned to one of the guardsmen. "Care you to hand over the list I made?"   
  
"Thirty... teapots..." Filia repeated, dumbfounded, trying to process the information through her brain. Apparently, the mayor of the city has just practically offered to buy her entire stock of pottery. The guardsman stepped forward and handed her a scroll listing what must be dozens of orders of every vase piece she kept in the shop. "Are you sure, sir? I mean, so many... What are you..." she stammered.   
  
"Oi, don't worry about payment," the mayor told her, gesturing to the other guardsman. The said soldier procured a bulky bag of gold from his cloak, handing it to the mayor, who handed it to the trembling dragon ex-priestess. "Will ten thousand gold pieces cover it?"  
  
Filia's mouth was open in shock, but she managed to say something. "It-- it's more than enough, Mr. Dela Barca. Are you sure--"  
  
"Five thousand gold pieces in that bag. The remaining five thousand will be given to you upon delivery to my mansion. Fair enough deal, is it? Got to be an honest man, reward an honest living," Dela Barca continued good-naturedly.   
  
"Um, yes..."  
  
The mayor nodded. "I'd guess everything will be ready by, let's say, two days from now?" Filia nodded in return, not knowing what to say. "Good, good. Well, I must leave now, I'm afraid. City hall awaits, gotta attend the hearing and all..." The mayor and his consorts turned to leave, and Filia finally found her voice.   
  
"Um, Mr. Dela Barca?" She called out, just before they reached the door.   
  
"Eh? What is it, Filia dear?" the old man inquired.   
  
"Could I know what are you going to use those pots for?"   
  
Dela Barca looked at her quizically. "Oi, so you don't know, yes?" She shook her head. "It's for the annual Pot Breaking Festival, of course!!!"   
  
If not for the fear of hurting the feelings of her most generous customer, Filia would have suffered a major face fault on the floor. She contented herself with a sweatdrop instead. "... Pot Breaking Festival?" she repeated slowly, trying not to smile too widely.   
  
"Right, Pot Breaking Festival," the mayor concluded happily as the guardsmen and some surrounding townsfolk nodded their approval. "Just made it up this morning. One of yon's flashes of inspiration! The perfect way to celebrate the passing of what must have been the strongest storms in decades!!! We'll be holding it exactly two days from now, main event in the town square... Ano, I must be going now, see you at the celebration, be sure to bring your little kid with you, what a fine boy..." The mayor was well out of the teashop and into the streets outside by the time he was finished, and Filia waved her goodbye.   
  
OK, so somebody stumbles half-dead into her home in the stormiest of nights. Somebody whose grin and hair color reminded her of an annoying namagomi. On top of that, the eccentric city mayor pays her a visit and she finds herself five thousand gold pieces richer. A festival for breaking pots is due in two days. The dragon maiden, not quite up to dealing with the customers who continued pouring in right now, just sat behind the counter and poured herself a cup of tea. 'Some days are just too weird for me.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In a secluded alley not far from Filia's Teahouse...  
  
"I'm sorry." The young woman gazed sadly at the lanky man before her, brown locks swaying as she shook her head. Her companion tensed, back hunching in a gesture of defeat.   
  
"Why?" He whispered without emotion.   
  
"I don't... I don't love you," she said, green eyes pleading. "I'm engaged to someone else. M-my father's announcing it in two days--" she broke off, unable to continue.   
  
The young man said nothing. His eyes swerved downward, not wanting to look back up at her and let her see the pain of rejection he knew filled his entire being. He backed off, clenching his fists together.   
  
"I'm sorry Marco... You're a nice guy. I'm sure you could find someone else... meant for you." She touched his shoulder gently, meaning to comfort him. He remained motionless.   
  
"Sarah..." He started to say, then, as if deciding against it, turned around and left without a second glance.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The shadows rematerialized, the brown-haired young woman having left the area at last. Existence was such an easy and controllable thing.   
  
/Nasaan ang suwail?/ one cloaked figure inquired to its brethren.   
  
One shadow shook its head. "Addaaappttt youurrr tongue, brother." It advised in demonstration.   
  
"She is lost." It argued.   
  
"We cannot help that," placated another.  
  
"Where have we arrived?"  
  
"Yyooouuu meannnn w-whhheeeenn..." One responded weakly. "C-cannnn nnooot ho-- hold fffooorrmmm... ceaase tttooo exissst..." It gave up, vanishing into nothingness again.   
  
"I admit we have been weakened considerably."   
  
"We shall remedy that."  
  
"Are you suggesting we take mortal's forms?"  
  
"We shall be able to move around much easier. The child was wounded severely as well. We need not fear her."  
  
A seventh muttered. "Time..."  
  
"No matter. We shall retrieve the Catarina. The child shall not succeed."   
  
"For now, though," who appeared to be the shadows' leader shifted form, until in his place stood not the cloaked creature but an ordinary jolly-faced townman. The rest of his companions followed suit. "The rebirth of the Beyond shall not be stopped."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was late in the afternoon when Filia finally decided to close shop. Of course, only the tea shop remained open for the rest of the day, the mayor having bought every single pottery piece in her inventory earlier before.   
  
The dragon maiden stretched on her seat, the strain of the day catching up on her. She moved to stand up, and nearly collided head on with the purple-haired Mazoku teleporting right behind her.   
  
"EEEEPPP!!!" *WHACK*WHACK*WHACK*WHA--  
  
"Fi-chan, you just destroyed your chair." Xellos informed from a safe floating distance away.   
  
Filia glanced and sure enough lay several splinters of the now unidentifiable furniture. She closed her eyes and lowered her mace. "Xellos..." She said, approaching the Mazoku seriously until they were almost nose to nose, facing each other.   
  
"Yes?" The trickster inquired, puzzled by her unnaturally calm demeanor.   
  
"DON'T EVER APPEAR RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE LIKE THAT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND??????!!!!!!!!!!!!" *WHACK!!!*  
  
"Itaiii..."  
  
"Why are you here again?" The now considerably pacified dragon maiden interrogated him warily.   
  
Xellos grinned, picking himself from the floor. "Why, to be with my Fi-chan, of course!"  
  
*WHACK*   
  
"Missed me," the Mazoku remarked from behind her. "Go easy on the violence, Filia. Can't we have a conversation without having you reintroduce Mace-sama to me?"   
  
"Oh, alright," fumed a blushing Filia. She hated it when the namagomi was right.   
  
"Now why don't we sit ourselves in your kitchen and have a nice cup of your *legendary* tea, ne? You've had a hard day, you need to relax."  
  
She nodded warily. 'Why is he being... nice? Something's up, he isn't always this polite...' In an instant Xellos had teleported both of them to her kitchen, and she sat as the Trickster Priest poured her a cup of her own tea. Then he joined her at the table, sitting across each other. Filia sniffed at her cup, making sure the tea was unpoisoned, before taking a tentative sip. Xellos drank delicately, watching her through closed eyes.   
  
"So, Filia-chan," Xellos broke in conversationally, "How is Alexia doing?"  
  
She set down her cup. "She's getting along fine," she answered, avoiding his gaze. "By tomorrow she'll be fully well, I would guess. She heals pretty fast." 'Like...' She wanted to add. 'Mazoku.'  
  
"I see," Xellos said, smirking slightly. "Well, what do you think of her?"  
  
Filia's quirked an eyebrow at the question. "She's a nice girl. Well-mannered. Sweet. What are you up to?" she demanded.  
  
"Me? What makes you think I'm up to something, Fi-chan?"  
  
"Because you always are!" Filia pointed out, sighing yet again. She stood up. "Fine. If you're not going to answer my questions, I'll stop wasting my time with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a huge order to fill in..." She turned, about to take her empty teacup to the sink.   
  
Xellos stayed her arm, gently but firmly setting her back down on her seat. "Well, if you really want to know..."  
  
"Yes?" Filia pressed on.   
  
He opened both eyes, looking at her almost seriously. "You guessed right, it's got something to do with an... occurrence last night," he began. "Perhaps you noticed a sudden disturbance, a release of magical energy yesterday, around the time you found Alexia?"   
  
She nodded. "Come to think of it, I do recall feeling something strange that night..."   
  
Xellos shrugged. "Well, I did a little investigating and the source of that magic turned out to be some kind of runic portal, just outside the city."   
  
"So? What does that have to do with Alex?"   
  
Now it was Xellos' turn to sigh impatiently. "Wouldn't you think it strange that a magical portal and a badly wounded girl would appear at almost the same location at around the same time?"   
  
"Coincidence, then," Filia stated. But the aura of the girl...   
  
"Ne, don't play dumb with me, Fi-chan. I know you could sense the girl's aura. Don't you think it's a tad strange she's emitting a magical aura very much like Valgarv's?" The Beastmaster's eyes remained open, amethyst pools quite serious, apparently.   
  
"So you know," she replied. "But right now she is quite harmless, and a guest in my home, and you and I have no business prodding a young woman why--"   
  
"On the contrary," Xellos corrected, "I do sense an enormous amount of power within her. Badly drained, yes, but her magical capacity is far beyond any human, Ryuzoku, or Mazoku for that matter."   
  
Filia stared evenly at him. "Are you suggesting that she... that Alex is..."   
  
"The one who opened and arrived from that portal, yes..."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Delirious Ramblings: And here I plug in three events that seem to have nothing to do with each other. And I really had no idea what to write when I grabbed the keyboard. I'm starting to tie things together though...   
  
AND THE ENEMIES MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN... -_-   



	5. Chapter 5 : Where Still Nothing Actually...

  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Slayers. I am not making any profit from this. I just love writing. I can't stop. It's a disease. Alexia, er, *Alex*, Dela Barca, Marco and the shadow creature thingies (geesh, I over-did it, ne?) are my creations.   
  
- CAUGHT UP IN TIME - by spare  
  
CHAPTER 4 : I THINK I MADE A BOOBOO...  
  
Blood. Lots and lots of blood.   
  
Fire. Ashes. Screams of dying men. Buildings burnt if not instantly destroyed by the first wave of attacking creatures, what was once a thriving community transformed into a blackened pit of death and despair.   
  
She stood at the center of it all, alone and frightened.   
  
Of course she was aware this was just a dream, another of the recurring nightmares brought about by memories she thought forgotten. Years and years of running away, hiding from the shadowy hunters that sought and killed them relentlessly. The creatures powerful enough to cancel the powers of even the two strongest races in existence. And still, she remembered being told of the origin of it all. How what was once a world populated by the mortals called humans along with the Ryuzoku, Mazoku and the little-known elves became a living hell ruled by soulless black entities. How everything her parents knew ended one fateful day, in the hands and fatal knowledge of one single person. An event that happened years before she was born, yes... An event she was now going to stop.   
  
She had to wake up. Time shouldn't go to waste.   
  
With that thought, the girl named Alexia opened her eyes.   
  
Yes, she was still in the soft bed, in the home of the kindly blond woman named Filia. She yawned, stretching her arms, noticing she had woken up a little later than she was accustomed to. The sun was high in the sky. Voices of who had to be Filia-sama's customers drifted from downstairs, over the delicious smell of tea and sweet breads.   
  
Oh, but she felt so much better now. She allowed herself one last lazy yawn and jumped out of bed, fresh as a daisy. She noticed a pile of neatly folded clothes on the chair by the window. A white shirt with gold trimming. A sash. Black drawstring pants. A pair of boots. She put them on. 'Looking good,' she thought, surveying herself on the vanity mirror at the other end of the room. All set to conquer the day. She wasn't back to full power yet, but what she recovered was enough for the job, if what she knew was true. It wasn't as if she had to worry about *them* right now. She forced her usual sunny smile onto her face. She thought of teleporting outside the room, but decided against it. Now that would be too... conspicuous. She didn't want her host to suspect too much. Yet. 'Better walk, then.'   
  
Humming softly to herself, both hands in her pants pockets, Alex walked out of the room to the bustle of the teashop below.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Downstairs, Filia was busy chatting and serving the morning away with her usual customers, staunch patrons of her locally famous tea. A few were asking if she could spare a few other pots to sell, but she graciously turned them down.   
  
This 'Pot Breaking Festival' was quickly catching on. She had seen several people turn back dejectedly after seeing the SOLD OUT sign on the pottery display by the counter. Other pottery shops in and out of the city were fast running out of stock as well. Add the fact she happened to see what must have been a gigantic cloth balloon in the shape of a pot being built on the roof top of city hall, visible even at the distance.   
  
Taking care of the last of the orders, the dragon maiden sat down, bouncing little Val on her hip. The young Ancient cooed happily, seemingly amused at the customers drinking their mid-morning tea in the spacious room. She smiled at her son distractedly, her mind wandering to the conversation she had had with Xellos yesterday evening.   
  
Yes, she had to admit the girl Alex's aura was very much like Valgarav's was. Distinctly Mazoku... and Ryuzoku at the same time. But Alex's eyes were very normal, not the unreflective slits that characterized those of the so-called 'evil race'. It greatly puzzled her.  
  
She remembered having brought up dinner for the girl later that night, and the young woman ate almost as heartily as she had that morning. Xellos had hinted trying to talk to her about the portal or her strange aura, but Filia just couldn't work up the courage to ask her that. Alex went back to sleep again and the dragon found herself staring at her sleeping form on the bed. The girl looked so peaceful, so innocent in her sleep. Xellos was certain she had great power, but it was almost unbelievable, seeing her like this. But then, looks were always deceiving. The namagomi, Miss Lina, even herself were very good examples.   
  
"Ohayo, Filia-sama," a cheerful voice called out. Alex stood halfway down the stairs, an unnervingly Xellos-y grin on her face.   
  
Filia smiled at the young woman. "A good morning to you too, Alex dear. Feeling better I take it?"  
  
She nodded. "Hai. Thanks mainly to you, Miss Filia."   
  
The dragon blushed yet again. "Think nothing of it. I am just happy to see you well again."   
  
Silence.   
  
Alex was gazing at her intently, an almost wistful look on her young face. Filia felt she needed to tell her more, but didn't know what else to say. For a while the two women just stood there, gazing each other. Until at last it was broken by the aqua-haired baby in Filia's arms.   
  
"Ma...! Mama!" Val exclaimed, tiny hands reaching out to the purple-haired teenager by the stairway, an expression of rapture on the little one's features.   
  
Filia's eyes widened in a combination of wonder and pride. It was the second time someone had gotten him to say his first word. Well, to her anyway. Xellos once argued with her that Val had called the filthy Mazoku 'Da' (shudder) one time he had gotten Filia to let him baby-sit while she was too busy... Enough of that, anyway. She turned to Alex. "I think he likes you."   
  
Alex smiled, stepping forward and stroking his cheek. "Is he your baby?" she inquired to Filia.   
  
"Oh, he's Val," the dragon maiden replied, proudly gazing at her adopted son. "He's not-- well, it's a rather long story. Anyway, I'm taking care of him now," she finished, rocking the child gently in her arms. The little Ancient gurgled happily.   
  
"He's so kawaii," Alex remarked, closing her eyes and smiling. She held out an index finger to the child's nose and was rewarded by Val's high pitched laughter.   
  
This Kodak moment was interrupted, however, by the timely rumbling of the girl's stomach. Interesting how the sound carried through the rest of the customer's tables, eliciting good-natured laughter and elbow-nudging by the tea-drinking patrons of the shop. Filia sweatdropped politely.   
  
"Oops," Alex said sheepishly, blushing an interesting shade of pink. "Ah..."   
  
"Gomen, I completely forgot," Filia told the young woman, "I left some breakfast for you at the kitchen." The dragon rose, leading the still slightly embarrassed Alex into the private dining area.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Feel it?"  
  
The other man nodded. "She is here."  
  
A man with a long thin nose and greasy black hair snorted haughtily. "Very weak. She has expended a large amount of her energy."  
  
"The girl does not stand a chance against us, brother," a burly man with a moustache agreed.   
  
One voice was doubtful. "Does she know we have followed her here?"  
  
"That may cause problems, yes..."  
  
"No," insisted the jolly-faced townsman. "She is not aware of our existence. We have to be careful, though."  
  
"How much time do we have left?"  
  
"A day."  
  
"Then tomorrow..." The burly man smiled. Then he turned to a wagon parked at a deserted corner of the street, MYPROS CONSTRUCTION COMPANY painted on its sides. Though it was too dark inside to tell, one could almost swear the forms heaped upon each other within the wagon were the unconscious bodies of human men. "In the meantime, what do you suggest we do with these... mortals?"  
  
A short man with beady eyes looked hopefully at their leader. "Shall we drain them?"  
  
Townsman shook his head. "No, brother. We need them alive. Our forms are more easily retainable with living specimens to copy from."  
  
"Very well then." One lowered his head in disappointment.   
  
"Now hush. I sense mortals approaching." The seven settled themselves.   
  
Three guardsmen approached them from the other side of a building. Right behind them was the tall and imposing figure of a man with a scraggly growth of beard covering most of his aged face. This one stopped a while to shout orders to a lanky young man cowering meekly from the other side of the street before addressing the group.  
  
"Hey! You guys the balloon makers?!?" He half-bellowed, half-inquired Townsman and co.   
  
/Ano'ng ibig niyang sabihin?/  
  
/Sumabay ka na lang./  
  
The seven men nodded. The man clapped his beefy hands together. "About time you arrived! Paid ya good money to set up the festival balloon, wouldn't be good service if you was slacking off, would it?!" He pointed a finger to the roof top of the tall building that served as city hall. "Right there! Now get to work!!!" Seemingly satisfied with himself, the man turned and left, to where he had sent the lanky servant a while ago.   
  
The three guardsmen remained. "Uh, we'll escort you to the building..." One indicated the parked wagon. "We'll tow it in later, OK?"  
  
With that, the seven seemingly ordinary festival balloon builders followed the three to city hall.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So what are you planning to do now, Alex?" Filia inquired, setting down a plate of cookies in front of the girl.   
  
"Well, since I'm OK now, I guess I could continue on my journey, ne?" Alex answered, taking an enthusiastic bite on one dragon-shaped cookie.   
  
"I see... Well, take better care not to run into bandits again, do you hear? Traveling alone as you are, I mean..." The dragon trailed off. She knew Xellos was watching close by. The Mazoku didn't bother to hide his aura from her. She knew the namagomi wanted her to ask Alex about the portal. While she felt uneasy trying to pry, a part of her wanted to know as well.   
  
"Don't worry, Filia-sama, I will," the girl replied with her usual grin. Her blue eyes wandered around the kitchen, resting on the teapot by the stove. "Um... If it's not too much of a bother, Filia-sama, can I have some tea? It's been a while since I've had a decent cup, and, well, yesterday's tea was great."  
  
"Oh, you like my tea?" Filia went all starry-eyed, happy that another enjoyed her favorite beverage. She stood up to pour her guest a cup. "I was about to offer you a cup..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"This is not going well," Xellos muttered from his perch outside the house. He knew Filia could sense him, and was trying to get the girl to talk about the rune. Not that he wouldn't be able to do a better job taking some facts out of the young woman. Playing the observer just gave him the space he needed to watch and compare the girl to Filia.   
  
For indeed the resemblance, to him anyway, was striking. Alexia had Filia's blue eyes, delicate, refined features, slender frame. He shook his head.   
  
Sighing, he saw the two females finish their midmorning chat and leave the kitchen. Filia was back at the counter with Val on her lap. Alex headed for the door, bowing a perky goodbye.   
  
"So she's leaving, is she?" The Mazoku thought to himself. It was time, he decided, to take matters into his own hands.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Alexia-chan! Feeling well enough to take a stroll, ne?"  
  
"Oh, hello, Mr. Xellos. And it's *Alex*."  
  
"Oh, Alexia-chan, Alex-chan, what's the difference? Such pretty females should be proud of their given names." Xellos grinned at the young woman as she came out of Filia's shop.  
  
Alex grinned back. "And pretty females should be free to be called their preferred nicknames."  
  
"Alright, *Alex*," Xellos held up his hands. "So, where are we off to now, ne?"  
  
"Well, around town, I would guess." The girl made off, not wanting to waste her time.  
  
"Care to tell me more?" The trickster pressed on.  
  
"Should I?" Alex replied, smiling sweetly.   
  
"A penny for your thoughts my dear," Xellos grin was getting a bit strained.   
  
"Well..." Alex paused as if to consider the statement very carefully. Then her face lit up. Xellos gazed at her expectantly. "Can't tell you!" Alex said, grinning.   
  
The Beastmaster found himself face-faulting on the hard pavement. Composing himself, he forced his fruitcake smile back in place before attempting another question.   
  
Unfortunately, the one who had previously evaded his subtle and not-so-subtle lines of interrogation was cheerily walking away, off to another corner of the street. Cursing silently, Xellos kept an easy pace with the young woman via floating lazily behind her.  
  
"Now, now, can't we talk some more?" Xellos pressed on.   
  
"I'm in a hurry I'm afraid," Alex replied, matching Xellos' eternal grin.   
  
"You had talked to Fi-chan, I take it?" the Mazoku went on. "She's quite the wonderful host and caretaker, isn't she?"  
  
"Most definitely," Alex smiled wider.   
  
"Such a fine lady is so hard to find these days... Of course, her temper is a problem.." Xellos chuckled at the fact. He made a mental note to himself to visit Filia again later in the evening. For the meantime, though, he was determined to bug this young woman all day.  
  
"Say, Mr. Xellos," Alex suddenly piped up, "You really like Ms. Filia, don't you?"  
  
"Eh?" the Beastmaster was none the less taken aback by the observation. Avery keen, over-imaginative and dreaming of the impossible observation. He frowned, taking up defensive mode. "What makes you say that?"  
  
"Oh nothing," the girl waved her hand noncomittally. "It's just it's so obvious, is all."  
  
"Obvious, huh?" Xellos fought not to twitch and give himself away. 'Maybe this girl's telepathic?' Aloud he said, "In what way?"  
  
Alex smirked, slowing her walk. "Couldn't you tell?"  
  
"Um, wouldn't you want to elaborate on that?"  
  
"Can't tell you," she replied simply.   
  
Xellos crossed his hands behind his back. "Is that so, Alexia-CHAN?"  
  
"It's Alex." The girl's grin never faltered.   
  
"Sure, Alex it is--" Xellos was fighting a losing battle. Unfortunately, he knew it. L-sama, as if Filia wasn't enough--  
  
/................................./  
  
A pause. A shift in the air.   
  
It was only a second -- a fraction of a moment, but it shocked Mazoku and girl nonetheless.   
  
Both pairs of eyes snapped open, alert and aware. the beastmaster managed to compose himself. In a moment the cheerful mask was back, while inwardly he struggled to shake off the feeling of utter dread.   
  
Alex, however, wasn't quick enough to manage such duplicity. Blue crystalline eyes grew wide with shock.   
  
"Well, what was THAT, Alexia-chan?" the Mazoku beside her inquired.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Amarsil!" Townsamn growled out the idiot's true name in an uncontrolled fit of anger.   
  
"F-forgive me, brother," the shadow-man pleaded, shifting fully back to his borrowed form.   
  
"Careless..."  
  
"You did not have to drain the specimen so quickly," scolded a cold voice.  
  
"I am sorry. I... lost control..."  
  
"Will the others come looking for it?" a man nervously inquired.  
  
"Hopefully not. If they do, we'll be forced to reveal ourselves prematurely." Townsman spared a moment to glare at the man. "Be careful not to slip, even a little next time, brother. Or I will NOT let you feed..."  
  
The man nodded obediently.   
  
"Quite a waste," another remarked. "To think the poor mortal came here to bring us these... materials to build this 'festival balloon'."   
  
The other six glanced at the pile of cloth, sticks and odds and ends that had fallen haphazardly on the spot where the mortal stood not too long ago.   
  
"At least these weren't destroyed during the feed. Might as well put them to use..." The others agreed.  
  
"But brethren, do any of us know the first thing in building such a contraption?"  
  
The pointy-nosed man spoke up. "Certainly. The science involved in such a device is so primitive--"  
  
"But what about the mission?" One protested.   
  
"It is due in a day. Ample time to amuse ourselves."  
  
Silent agreement. "So I suppose we shall go to work, then?"  
  
"Certainly."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Rants: I REALLY didn't plan any of this. Isn't it funny how the most ridiculous impulsive ideas turn out to be quite important plot points in the end?!? ^_^ Oi, um, well, how do I put this... Well, those of you who could understand the words wedged between the / __ / here are free to post this ficcie!!! Kumusta na, ha? (sweatdrop) OK, enough of that. I'm really, really sorry to inform you guys I might not be able to finish this story any time soon because it's bound to be a very busy month for moi. But stay tuned, a few weeks or so I might come up with a new chapter. Anyways, thanks, arigato, salamat and enjoy!   
  
FESTIVAL OF BREAKING POTS UP NEXT...   



End file.
